A people-curated art exhibition has taken to the streets in Marsa and Kalkara.

Naqsam il-Muża (Sharing the Muse) is a joint Valletta 2018 Foundation and Muża Project initiative which empowers members of a chosen community to select artworks from the collection at the National Museum of Fine Arts to display in their own localities.

The project is part of the run-up to 2018, when Valletta will be named European Capital of Culture and when Muża, the new national-community art museum which will house the national collection, will open its doors at the Auberge d’Italie.

A passer-by in Marsa looking at View of Grand Harbour by Giorgio Pullicino, chosen by Raymond Montebello, president of the Historical and Cultural Association of Marsa.

The Marsa edition of the project includes the choice of 11 participants chosen from the Marsa community who in turn chose artworks by Giorgio Pullicino, Mattia Preti, Thomas L. Hornbrook, Stefano Erardi, Andrea Vicentino, Antonio Sciortino, Emvin Cremona, Mary de Piro, Gervais de Palmeus, and Anton Schranz.

The final selection, including comments by each participant, is currently installed in various locations around Marsa. These include the parvis of Marija Reġina parish church, the Marija Reġina Band Club, the Marsa Scouts Headquarters, Il-Pespus Smart Kids Child Care Centre, Triq Balbi, the Għaqda Storika u Kulturali Marsa, the Regatta Club, the Kunsill Pastorali Parrokkjali Trinità Qaddisa, the Marsa Open Centre, Prince Albert Street, the horse racetrack entrance and the Marsa Sports Complex at the gate to the athletics track.

One of the Marsa participants explained that she chose Cremona’s Abstract because the mix of colours together provide for a harmonious whole.

Teacher Marouska Farrugia said that it reminded her of her town which welcomes many people from different cultures and works towards living together as a multicultural community. The colours also bring to mind Marsa’s children who represent the new generation.

In Kalkara, the seven chosen community members proposed artworks by Abraham Casembrot, Giuseppe Calì, Claude-Joseph Vernet, Francesco de Mura, Guido Reni, Francesco Grandi and Anton Schranz.

They are currently installed, together with comments by each participant, at the chapel of Our Saviour, Kalkara Local Council, Circolo S. Giuseppe – Sagra Familja Band Club, the Kalkara parish church parvis, Kalkara seafront, D Kalkara Regatta Restaurant and the Kalkara primary school entrance.

The Marsa and Kalkara installations will remain on display until the end of August. The next community will be Gżira.

The old museum venue will be closing its doors for the last time right after this year’s edition of Notte Bianca happening on Saturday, October 1.

• More information on the project is available on the Valletta 2018 website www.valletta2018.org, Heritage Malta’s website www.heritagemalta.org, MUŻAblog http://muza.heritagemalta.org/ and the MUŻA National Museum of Fine Arts’ Facebook page.